Would you kill 10000 people to save the person you love most?

[CurdinHenry]

Context -

You would just have to press a button and you wouldn't have to see it happen

You would be guaranteed not to know any of them beforehand

No one would know it was you unless you confessed

Yanbu yes
Yabu no

Revenge.

I do have to say, I would absolutely hate to find out that even one had had to die so that my life could be saved. Let alone 10,000 people. The idea is horrific.

Still won’t answer the front door, lend their best mate 50 quid or tell MIL off when she’s being annoying. A load of stupid bravado…

That is about the size of it….
It’s like a debate in the 6th form common room ffs.

It's like the Mother's Love Olympics up in here 😂

Everyone making grander and edgier statements about what they would do for their kids because no one has loved a child the way they love theirs!

I wonder though, if people stop to think about the pain they would be inflicting on other mothers who may lose their child as part of the 10,000. Is it not cruel to inflict that pain on potentially hundreds of others who love their child as much as you?

Ultimately it's a matter of selfishness, not unconditional love, to kill the 10,000.

Yes deffo i would.

Not everybody is making grandiose statements at all.
It's not unreasonable to suggest that people would in fact press the button to save their own child.

Nobody vaguely empathetic would be happy about that decision and would probably be guilt ridden and traumatised forever but it is what it is.

I'd bet most would in reality choose to kill off the 10,000 for their own children.

If the loved most person in the world was a spouse, maybe not.

The unconditional love may not exist there. Besides which, if it is another adult you know well you have probably a good idea as regards what they would want.

My dh would probably opt to save the 10,000 so I would honour his wishes as regards what he'd want me to do.

Then again if the decision were to save a cat or 10,000 child abusers, the cat would be saved. No guilt or hesitation, either.

if it is another adult you know well you have probably a good idea as regards what they would want.

Which is why I wouldn’t entertain the idea. My son is an adult who would be horrified by it.

Well that's fair enough I guess.

Even then I'm not sure you would not save him.

Not a criticism, this is such an unlikely scenario that I think that people can respectfully disagree.

I agree that with adult children who are fully grown there may be factors influencing the decision.

Most of us aren't saying we love our kids more than others.
We are saying that we love our kids as much as most other mothers, which is the normal standard, and the ones who wouldn't save their own children fall below that standard.

HTH

Love doesn’t have “standards”.

I’m a terrible person but I probably would as I wouldn’t see it happen.
i know my life (and all modern life) contributes to death to get me things that make my life easier like a mobile, I’ve actually seen that up close the child miners and yet still have a phone and I still choose all the modern things that make my life easier despite knowing and even seeing what it costs to get it. If I do it for a phone, would I do it on a larger guaranteed scale for a loved one? I’d have to be in the moment with the button, but I think I would.

No. He wouldn’t want me to. Not when it would add so much pain into the world. I wouldn’t be able to live with it either. It’s not a good question because both results are too painful.

No, but only because he wouldn’t want that. In my heart I’d rather see him live than 10,000 strangers.

Apt username. What other atrocities are you willing to commit for your children? Bravado on a MN thread means you’re a better parent, sure.

Step aside Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, you haven’t seen nothing yet, MNers really love their kids!

Yes, when the whole point is saving your own child. SAVING!
Again, this is all very made up, but who doesn’t look at their own children and think that you’d go to the ends of the earth for them. I don’t think I’d feel guilt if it meant saving my own child. I could look into his eyes until the end of my days then

Yes. Agree it's different but it's the nearest actual life event that I know of where someone had to make this sort of decision. It actually had quite profound impacts on both the father and son and, like you say, it was not an active action of ending someone's life, just an omission with consequences. So whilst most are saying they would save their loved one, they might be underestimating the long term consequences of actively causing the death of 10000 children of other people, which is what they are.

Of course he knew the children and families, so that would add another level to a traumatic event.

So we solved the problem of why people are prepared to enable the mass slaughter of thousands even their neighbours and friends, in history. Just tell them they are a threat to their family and there's no consequences if you kill them. If you can get usually reasonable people on MN to do it then no problem getting the masses to do it.
Concerning, tbh.

The day I gave birth to my first child was the day I realised I was capable of murder. I'd do anything to keep my two kids safe so yes if I had to press a button to kill thousands to save my own I'd do it without too much thought. Yes I'd feel bad & would prefer not to but if it meant i'd lose one off mine if I didn't, it'd have to be done.

Just no, why is your 1 loved one any less precious than those 10000 people to their loved ones, can't stand evil selfish people

Wow
Nice to know you live amongst us

I totally understand the situation would never actually happen, but why are 10000 strangers more precious to you than your own children?

There have been psychological dilemma films exploring similar themes, for eg “The Box” and “ The Belkin experiment.” Generally the idea is do you choose to press a button or take a course of action knowing that your action will result in other people dying in order to benefit yourself or prevent harm to a loved one. Could you live with the guilt?

Well obviously 10,000 strangers are not more precious to me than my own children, who I would happily sacrifice myself for without thinking twice.

However I am evolved enough to know that not everything in this world revolves around me and my wants and needs.